Politics by Numbers is a new series for The Journal where broadcaster, author and spreadsheet stan Gavan Reilly takes a data deep dive into a political point of the week.

LET’S START WITH the upside. By the time this column is published, barring any unexpected drama, 36 bills will have been signed into law so far in 2026.

That’s a sign of a government finding its groove. Last year only 21 Bills completed their journey through the Houses of the Oireachtas, which is the lowest number for a full year in the history of the State. Only in 1922 were fewer bills passed, but the State only existed for three weeks before Christmas of that year.

There were some mitigating circumstances to this: the never-ending dispute over the allocation of Dáil speaking time meant a delay in forming ‘technical groups’, which in turn meant a delay in forming Oireachtas committees, which had a knock-on consequence on how prospective new laws can be scrutinised.

On the other hand, while the government was only formed in January, the excuse of needing to find its feet wears a little thin: though almost every minister had a new portfolio, the government appointed in January 2025 was effectively re-elected to continue the work of the previous one.

In any event, the pipeline is beginning to get busier now. 2026 compares favourably with the second years of previous administrations: in 2021 the comparable number was 32, back in the era of the Dáil sitting at the Convention Centre; in 2017, in the first springtime of confidence and supply, the number was 26.

The Dáil’s summer recess inevitably coincides with an urgent push to clear the decks.........

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